Motor vehicle interiors may include a number of cup holders at various locations accessible to the driver or passengers of the vehicle. For example, a center console of a vehicle may include one or more cup holders for use by the driver or front passenger. For the driver, in particular, the ability to quickly locate a cup holder when placing a cup (or other container) therein, may help reduce distraction or diversion of the driver's attention from the road. For this and for other motivations (e.g. aesthetic or the like), illuminated cup holders have been developed that include a light source within or adjacent to the cup holder that illuminate the cup holder interior and/or a portion of the wall or floor of the cup holder.
Due, at least in part, to the added expense of lighting one or more cup holders within a vehicle, illuminated cup holders are often left as an option for a purchaser of a vehicle or are only included in particular elevated trim levels of a particular mode. Still further, as vehicle manufacturers often share parts among models, various models with similar cup holder structures may include some models with illuminated cup holders and some with non-illuminated cup holders. Illuminated cup holders have previously utilized separate components from non-illuminated cup holders. Accordingly, manufacturers offering non-illuminated cup holders have utilized solutions such as: leaving an unsightly gap where a light source would otherwise be present; adding a unique, non-functional part to fill the gap (sometimes called a “dummy plug”); or, creating separate injection-mold tooling for a unique version of the cup holder that does not include the lighting feature. Accordingly, further advances in cup holder assemblies are desired.